Acts 19
Legacy Standard Bible
Paul in Ephesus
19 Now it happened that while (A)Apollos was at (B)Corinth, Paul passed through the (C)upper regions and came to (D)Ephesus and found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, “(E)Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, (F)we have not even heard if the Holy Spirit is being received.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “(G)Into John’s baptism.” 4 Then Paul said, “(H)John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people (I)to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 And when they heard this, they were (J)baptized [a]in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had (K)laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began (L)speaking with tongues and (M)prophesying. 7 Now there were in all about twelve men.
8 And after he entered (N)the synagogue, he continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them (O)about the kingdom of God. 9 But when (P)some were becoming hardened and were not believing, speaking evil of (Q)the Way before the multitude, he left them and took away (R)the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. 10 This took place for (S)two years, so that all who lived in [b](T)Asia heard (U)the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
Miracles in Ephesus
11 And God was doing (V)extraordinary [c]miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 (W)so that cloths or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and (X)the evil spirits went out. 13 But also some of the Jewish (Y)exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to invoke over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “I implore you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 14 Now seven sons of one named Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” 16 And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them, subdued all of them, and utterly prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in (Z)Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified. 18 Also, many of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. 19 And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and were burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand [d](AA)pieces of silver. 20 So [e](AB)the word of the Lord (AC)was growing mightily and prevailing.
Riots in Ephesus
21 Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the [f]Spirit to (AD)go to Jerusalem (AE)after he had passed through (AF)Macedonia and (AG)Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, (AH)I must also see Rome.” 22 And having sent into (AI)Macedonia two of (AJ)those who ministered to him, (AK)Timothy and (AL)Erastus, he himself stayed in [g](AM)Asia for a while.
23 Now about that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning (AN)the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of [h]Artemis, (AO)was bringing no little [i]business to the craftsmen; 25 these he gathered together with the workers of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity is from this business. 26 And you see and hear that not only in (AP)Ephesus, but in almost all of (AQ)Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable crowd, saying that (AR)things made with hands are not gods. 27 And not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess [j]Artemis be considered as worthless and that she, whom all of (AS)Asia and (AT)the [k]world worship, is even about to be brought down from her majesty.”
28 When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began crying out, saying, “Great is [l]Artemis of the (AU)Ephesians!” 29 And the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed [m]with one accord into the theater, dragging along (AV)Gaius and (AW)Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling (AX)companions from (AY)Macedonia. 30 And when Paul wanted to go into the [n]assembly, (AZ)the disciples would not let him. 31 Also some of the [o]Asiarchs who were friends of his sent to him and repeatedly urged him not to [p]venture into the theater. 32 (BA)So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the [q]meeting was in confusion and the majority did not know [r]for what reason they had come together. 33 And some of the crowd [s]concluded it was Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward; and having (BB)motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the [t]assembly. 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single cry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 35 Now after calming the crowd, the city clerk *said, “Men of (BC)Ephesus, what man is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the image which fell down from heaven? 36 So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither (BD)robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are in session and [u](BE)proconsuls are available; let them bring charges against one another. 39 But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the [v]lawful meeting. 40 For indeed we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today’s events, since there is no cause for which we can give as an account for this disorderly gathering.” 41 After saying this he dismissed the meeting.
Footnotes
- Acts 19:5 Lit into
- Acts 19:10 West coast province of Asia Minor
- Acts 19:11 Or works of power
- Acts 19:19 A silver piece was approx. a laborer’s daily wage
- Acts 19:20 Or according to the power of the Lord the word was growing
- Acts 19:21 Or spirit
- Acts 19:22 West coast province of Asia Minor
- Acts 19:24 Lat Diana
- Acts 19:24 Or profit
- Acts 19:27 Lat Diana
- Acts 19:27 Lit the inhabited earth
- Acts 19:28 Lat Diana
- Acts 19:29 Or together
- Acts 19:30 Lit people
- Acts 19:31 Political or religious officials of the province of Asia
- Acts 19:31 Lit give himself
- Acts 19:32 Gr ekklesia
- Acts 19:32 Or on whose account
- Acts 19:33 Or advised Alexander
- Acts 19:33 Lit people
- Acts 19:38 Or provincial governors
- Acts 19:39 Or regular
Acts 19
Contemporary English Version
Paul in Ephesus
19 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled across the hill country to Ephesus, where he met some of the Lord's followers. 2 He asked them, “When you put your faith in Jesus, were you given the Holy Spirit?”
“No!” they answered. “We have never even heard of the Holy Spirit.”
3 “Then why were you baptized?” Paul asked.
They answered, “Because of what John taught.”[a]
4 (A) Paul replied, “John baptized people so they would turn to God. But he also told them someone else was coming, and they should put their faith in him. Jesus is the one that John was talking about.” 5 After the people heard Paul say this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 Then Paul placed his hands on them. The Holy Spirit was given to them, and they spoke unknown languages and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in this group.
8 For three months Paul went to the synagogue and talked bravely with the people about God's kingdom. He tried to win them over, 9 but some of them were stubborn and refused to believe. In front of everyone they said terrible things about God's Way. Paul left and took the followers with him to the lecture hall of Tyrannus. He spoke there every day 10 for two years, until every Jew and Gentile[b] in Asia had heard the Lord's message.
The Sons of Sceva
11 God gave Paul the power to work great miracles. 12 People even took handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched Paul's body, and they carried them to everyone who was sick. All of the sick people were healed, and the evil spirits went out.
13 Some Jewish men started going around trying to force out evil spirits by using the name of the Lord Jesus. They said to the spirits, “Come out in the name of that same Jesus that Paul preaches about!”
14 Seven sons of a high priest named Sceva were doing this, 15 when an evil spirit said to them, “I know Jesus! And I have heard about Paul. But who are you?” 16 Then the man with the evil spirit jumped on them and beat them up. They ran out of the house, naked and bruised.
17 When the Jews and Gentiles[c] in Ephesus heard about this, they were so frightened that they praised the name of the Lord Jesus. 18 Many who were followers now started telling everyone about the evil things they had been doing. 19 Some who had been practicing witchcraft even brought their books and burned them in public. These books were worth about 50,000 silver coins. 20 So the Lord's message spread and became even more powerful.
The Riot in Ephesus
21 After all this had happened, Paul decided[d] to visit Macedonia and Achaia on his way to Jerusalem. Paul had said, “From there I will go on to Rome.” 22 So he sent his two helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia. But he stayed on in Asia for a while.
23 At that time there was serious trouble because of the Lord's Way.[e] 24 A silversmith named Demetrius had a business that made silver models of the temple of the goddess Artemis. Those who worked for him earned a lot of money. 25 Demetrius brought together everyone who was in the same business and said:
Friends, you know we make a good living at this. 26 But you have surely seen and heard how this man Paul is upsetting a lot of people, not only in Ephesus, but almost everywhere in Asia. He claims that the gods we humans make are not really gods at all. 27 Everyone will start saying terrible things about our business. They will stop respecting the temple of the goddess Artemis, who is worshiped in Asia and all over the world. Our great goddess will be forgotten!
28 When the workers heard this, they got angry and started shouting, “Great is Artemis, the goddess of the Ephesians!” 29 Soon the whole city was in a riot, and some men grabbed Gaius and Aristarchus, who had come from Macedonia with Paul. Then everyone in the crowd rushed to the place where the town meetings were held.
30 Paul wanted to go out and speak to the people, but the Lord's followers would not let him. 31 A few of the local officials were friendly to Paul, and they sent someone to warn him not to go.
32 Some of the people in the meeting were shouting one thing, and others were shouting something else. Everyone was completely confused, and most of them did not even know why they were there.
33 Several of the Jewish leaders pushed a man named Alexander to the front of the crowd and started telling him what to say. He motioned with his hand and tried to explain what was going on. 34 But when the crowd saw that he was Jewish, they all shouted for two hours, “Great is Artemis, the goddess of the Ephesians!”
35 Finally, a town official made the crowd be quiet. Then he said:
People of Ephesus, who in the world doesn't know that our city is the center for worshiping the great goddess Artemis? Who doesn't know that her image which fell from heaven is right here? 36 No one can deny this, and so you should calm down and not do anything foolish. 37 You have brought men in here who have not robbed temples or spoken against our goddess.
38 If Demetrius and his workers have a case against these men, we have courts and judges. Let them take their complaints there. 39 But if you want to do more than that, the matter will have to be brought before the city council. 40 We could easily be accused of starting a riot today. There is no excuse for it! We cannot even give a reason for this uproar.
41 After saying this, he told the people to leave.
Footnotes
- 19.3 Then why were you baptized? … Because of what John taught: Or “In whose name were you baptized? … We were baptized in John's name.”
- 19.10 Gentile: The text has “Greek” (see the note at 14.1).
- 19.17 Gentiles: The text has “Greeks” (see the note at 14.1).
- 19.21 Paul decided: Or “Paul was led by the Holy Spirit.”
- 19.23 the Lord's Way: See the note at 9.2.
Acts 19
New American Standard Bible
Paul in Ephesus
19 Now it happened that while (A)Apollos was in (B)Corinth, Paul passed through the (C)upper country and came to (D)Ephesus, and found some disciples. 2 He said to them, “(E)Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “On the contrary, (F)we have not even heard if there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “(G)Into John’s baptism.” 4 Paul said, “(H)John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people (I)to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 When they heard this, they were (J)baptized [a]in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had (K)laid hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they began (L)speaking with tongues and (M)prophesying. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
8 And he entered (N)the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, having discussions and persuading them (O)about the kingdom of God. 9 But when (P)some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of [b](Q)the Way before the [c]people, he withdrew from them and took (R)the disciples away with him, and had discussions daily in the school of Tyrannus. 10 This took place for (S)two years, so that all who lived in [d](T)Asia heard (U)the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
Miracles at Ephesus
11 God was performing (V)extraordinary [e]miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 (W)so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and (X)the evil spirits went out. 13 But also some of the Jewish (Y)exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to [f]use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had the evil spirits, saying, “I order you in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches!” 14 Now there were seven sons of [g]Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, doing this. 15 But the evil spirit responded and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know of Paul, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit, pounced on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 This became known to all who lived in (Z)Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified. 18 Also many of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. 19 And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they added up the prices of [h]the books and found it to be fifty thousand [i](AA)pieces of silver. 20 So [j](AB)the word of the Lord (AC)was growing and prevailing mightily.
21 Now after these things were finished, Paul resolved in [k]the Spirit to (AD)go to Jerusalem (AE)after he had passed through (AF)Macedonia and (AG)Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, (AH)I must also see Rome.” 22 And after he sent into (AI)Macedonia two of (AJ)those who assisted him, (AK)Timothy and (AL)Erastus, he himself stayed in [l](AM)Asia for a while.
23 About that time [m]a major disturbance occurred in regard to [n](AN)the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of [o]Artemis, (AO)was bringing [p]considerable [q]business to the craftsmen; 25 he gathered these men together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity [r]depends upon this business. 26 You see and hear that not only in (AP)Ephesus, but in almost all of [s](AQ)Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that [t](AR)gods made by hands are not gods at all. 27 Not only is there danger that this trade of ours will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess [u]Artemis will be regarded as worthless, and that she whom all of [v](AS)Asia and (AT)the [w]world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence.”
28 When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began shouting, saying, “Great is [x]Artemis of the (AU)Ephesians!” 29 The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging along (AV)Gaius and (AW)Aristarchus, Paul’s (AX)Macedonian traveling (AY)companions. 30 And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, (AZ)the disciples would not let him. 31 Also some of the [y]Asiarchs who were friends of his sent word to him and repeatedly urged him not to [z]venture into the theater. 32 (BA)So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the [aa]assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know [ab]for what reason they had come together. 33 Some of the crowd [ac]concluded it was Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward; and having (BB)motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the assembly. 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single outcry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours, “Great is [ad]Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35 After quieting the crowd, the town clerk *said, “Men of (BC)Ephesus, what person is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great [ae]Artemis and of the image which fell down from [af]the sky? 36 So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither (BD)temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are in session and [ag](BE)proconsuls are available; have them bring charges against one another. 39 But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the [ah]lawful [ai]assembly. 40 For indeed, we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today’s events, since there is no real reason for it, and in this connection we will be unable to account for this disorderly gathering.” 41 After saying this he dismissed the [aj]assembly.
Footnotes
- Acts 19:5 Lit into
- Acts 19:9 See John 14:6
- Acts 19:9 Lit multitude
- Acts 19:10 I.e., west coast province of Asia Minor
- Acts 19:11 Or works of power
- Acts 19:13 I.e., as an incantation
- Acts 19:14 Lit some Sceva
- Acts 19:19 Lit them
- Acts 19:19 Prob. Greek drachmas; a drachma was a day’s wages for a laborer
- Acts 19:20 Or according to the power of the Lord the word was growing
- Acts 19:21 Or his spirit
- Acts 19:22 I.e., west coast province of Asia Minor
- Acts 19:23 Lit no small
- Acts 19:23 See John 14:6
- Acts 19:24 Lat Diana
- Acts 19:24 Lit no little
- Acts 19:24 Or profit
- Acts 19:25 Lit is from
- Acts 19:26 See note v 22
- Acts 19:26 Lit those
- Acts 19:27 Lat Diana
- Acts 19:27 See note v 22
- Acts 19:27 Lit the inhabited earth
- Acts 19:28 Lat Diana
- Acts 19:31 I.e., political or religious officials of the province of Asia
- Acts 19:31 Lit give himself
- Acts 19:32 Gr ekklesia
- Acts 19:32 Or on whose account
- Acts 19:33 Or advised Alexander
- Acts 19:34 Lat Diana
- Acts 19:35 Lat Diana
- Acts 19:35 Lit Zeus; Lat Jupiter
- Acts 19:38 Or provincial governors
- Acts 19:39 Or regular
- Acts 19:39 Gr ekklesia
- Acts 19:41 Gr ekklesia
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